Registering and Verifying Tables

Overview to Registering Tables

You need to make sure that the end users of your SAS applications can gain access to tables in your data libraries. The exact steps and authorization requirements vary across applications and data types, but you must always log on to the application, register the needed metadata, and verify the existence of the tables. This example focuses on the process used to verify SAS tables in SAS Management Console.
This user account that is used for registering tables must have these permissions:
  • ReadMetadata and WriteMetadata permission in the DefaultACT for the repository.
  • ReadMetadata and WriteMetadata permission on the library.
  • WriteMemberMetadata permission to the folder where the table metadata is to be stored.
  • Permission to the data source to read the tables. This is not a SAS metadata permission.
When you register tables in metadata, you choose the metadata folder location to use for storing the table metadata. Be aware that the table metadata inherits the metadata permissions that are granted on the folder. Select or create a folder with the metadata permissions that meet your business needs. You can also use an existing folder and change the metadata permissions.
Verifying your access to tables in SAS Management Console is a two-stage process:
  1. Register the tables.
  2. Verify Access to the Data in a SAS Application.

Stage 1: Register the Tables

To register the tables, perform the following steps:
  1. Open SAS Management Console, if necessary.
  2. Expand the Data Library Manager node. Then, expand the Libraries node to see the list of libraries.
  3. Right-click the library that contains the tables that you need to import and select Register Tables.
  4. Verify that the values shown in the fields in the Library details group box are correct. Click Next.
  5. Click the tables that you need to select. (Hold down the CTRL key and click to select more than one table.)
  6. Check the metadata folder path in the Location field. Navigate to a folder or create a folder that has metadata permissions for user and group access that meets your business needs.
    Click Next.
  7. Examine the final page of the wizard to ensure that the proper values have been entered. Click Finish.
    Note: You can also register tables by using SAS Data Integration Studio or by using the METALIB procedure. For information about using the METALIB procedure, see Managing Table Metadata.

Stage 2: Verify Access to the Data in a SAS Application

Open an application that can view SAS data in order to view the data in the imported tables and review the data. For example, you can use SAS Data Integration Studio. To use SAS Data Integration Studio to view a registered table, perform the following steps:
  1. Navigate to the Inventory tree and expand the Table node.
  2. Right-click a table that you need to verify and select the Open option. Examine the data contained in the table in the View Data dialog box.
  3. Close the View Data window.
  4. (Optional) You can also examine the table's Properties field. Right-click the table and select the Properties option.
  5. Click the Columns tab to see column data for the table. Close the Properties dialog box.